Shirley Ballas has shared a sweet snap of her reuniting with her ex-husband and partner.
The TV favourite married dancing partner Corky Ballas back in 1985. The pair share 37-year-old Mark, who is also a pro dancer. In 2007 though, Shirley and Corky split.
But this week, proving you really can be pals with your exes, Shirley and Corky reunited for a selfie, ahead of working together.
Shirley Ballas and Corky Ballas
Taking to her Instagram Story, Shirley uploaded a snap of her posing next to Corky.
She captioned the post: “Meeting up with Corky Ballas, father to our wonderful son and Grandad to Banksi. Back working together, simply awesome.”
Both Corky and Shirley recently became grandparents, as their son welcomed a son into the world with wife BC Jean. In December, Mark – a pro on Dancing with the Stars in the US – confirmed the happy news, revealing the tot’s name was Banksi Wylde Ballas. He was born in November 2023.
Why did Shirley Ballas keep ex-husband’s name?
Despite splitting up, Shirley has kept Corky’s last name. In 2023, she revealed her decision to keep his surname.
Speaking to Anna Richardson on her podcast ‘It Can’t Just Be Me?’, Shirley said: “I kept Ballas because my son was born out of love. And then it became Mark Ballas, Shirley Ballas, Corky Ballas.
“It wasn’t until later when the relationship fell apart that Corky would be at a competition and he would refuse to announce me with my surname.
“So, he would say ‘From the United Kingdom…Shirley’. But, my name is Shirley Ballas and that’s what we did when we got married. I took his name – same name as my son. We’d been married for 22 years – my little boy was Mark Ballas. I didn’t want to go under Shirley Ritch, which was my maiden name. I wanted to have the same name as my son.”
Prior to Shirley and Corky’s marriage, she was married to another ballroom dancer, Sammy Stopford, from 1980 to 1984.
However, Shirley has since found love despite her two failed marriages. Shirley met partner Danny Taylor doing a panto in 2018. Going public on Loose Women, the couple said the romance was “love at first sight”. After discussing “getting married” over lockdown, they reportedly got engaged at the end of 2021.
Why Shirley Ballas and partner Danny have cancelled wedding plans
Initially, Shirley seemed keen to tie the knot, even saying that she “would have married him tomorrow if he asked me”. But recently, Shirley opened up about why she and Danny had cancelled plans to marry.
Featuring as a guest on Alan Carr‘s Life’s A Beach podcast on January 8, Shirley revealed: “Two marriages, an engagement, two long-term relationships later and I will not be getting married again. I’ve made the decision.”
Read more: Strictly star Shirley Ballas urged to ‘take it easy’ as she’s hooked to drip amid illness
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